Millennium Tower vs OneEleven Building

Millennium Tower
OneEleven Building

Comparing the Millennium Tower and the OneEleven Building is an interesting exercise, because even though they are located in different cities (San Francisco, CA and Chicago, IL), both were designed by Handel Architects and finished within within 5 years of each other. This gives us the chance to see how the same architect's ideas were expressed in different urban contexts almost simultaneously.

Height
184m
Floors
58

Height & Size

Height
187m
Floors
58

Style
Contemporary

Architectural Style

Style
Contemporary

Both the Millennium Tower and the OneEleven Building were designed in line with the aesthetic conventions of the Contemporary style.

At the time, this style was at the height of its popularity. So both Handel Architects and Handel Architects LLP followed what was in many ways expected of them, producing designs that fit comfortably within contemporary architectural norms, rather than breaking with convention.

Main use
Residential

Uses

Main use
Residential

Both the Millennium Tower and the OneEleven Building are primarily residential towers, serving similar roles in the urban fabric.

In terms of capacity, the Millennium Tower offers 419 apartments, while the OneEleven Building provides 504 units.

Both towers provide significant parking capacity, with Millennium Tower offering 340 spaces and the OneEleven Building offering 470.

Structure
Frame
Facade
Curtain Wall

Structure & Facade

Structure
Frame
Facade
Curtain Wall

Both the Millennium Tower and the OneEleven Building rely on a Frame structural system.

A frame structure uses a grid of columns and beams to carry the building's loads. This frees the walls from structural duties, allowing for flexible floor plans and larger windows.

They also employ the same type of facade, a Curtain Wall facade.

A curtain wall is a non-load-bearing facade hung from the structural frame. It is anchored to floor slabs and transfers only its own weight and wind loads, allowing for sleek, glassy exteriors.

Millennium Tower OneEleven Building
Handel Architects Architect Handel Architects LLP
2005 Construction Started 2013
2009 Year Completed 2014
Contemporary Architectural Style Contemporary
Residential Current Use Residential
58 Floors Above Ground 58
5 Floors Below Ground 4
184 m Height (m) 187 m
107,000 m² Usable Area (m²) 87,329 m²
419 Residential Units 504
Frame Structure Type Frame
Concrete Vertical Structure Material Reinforced Concrete
Concrete Horizontal Structure Material Reinforced Concrete
No Facade Structural? No
Glass, Metal Main Facade Material Glass
Webcor Builders Main Contractor Lend Lease
Mission Street Development, LLC Developer Related Midwest
DeSimone Consulting Engineers Structural Engineer Halvorson And Partners
CA State IL
San Francisco City Chicago
301 Mission Street Address 111 West Wacker Drive